The first time you use the new Yahoo Messenger, you'll be asked to confirm your name, contact information, and profile picture. Your name and profile picture are visible to anyone who searches for you. Your email address and phone number are private – nobody else will see them. However, friends can search for you via phone number or email address if they have that information in their contacts. You can always keep your profile information private if you'd prefer, which will prevent anyone from finding you on Yahoo Messenger.

Yahoo Messenger now puts your conversations front and center. To see your contacts, click the Compose icon and start typing a name to filter and find the contact you're looking for. Learn more about viewing your contacts.

Right now, there's no presence indicator that shows when your contacts are online. However, you can now message anyone, even if they're offline. They'll receive a mobile notification with your message. Think of it like text messaging!

If you upgraded from an older version of Yahoo Messenger and are looking for your old conversations, you can find them in the conversation archive tool.

The new Yahoo Messenger will securely store your messages and keep your conversation history in the conversation window. Unlike the previous version of Yahoo Messenger, there's no way to turn off conversation history but you can clear the conversation or leave the group in the new Yahoo Messenger.

Once you install the new Yahoo Messenger desktop application, make sure to delete the legacy application from your computer if you have it installed. You should also do this if you’re a Windows user who received an automatic update of Yahoo Messenger.

Important things to know:

Uninstalling the legacy Yahoo Messenger desktop application will remove data associated with it from your computer, including conversations you’ve saved. If you upgraded from an older version of Yahoo Messenger and are looking for your old conversations, you can find them in the conversation archive tool.

Removing the legacy desktop application from your computer won’t delete or close your Yahoo Messenger account. If you don’t install the new desktop application, you can still access Yahoo Messenger using the new iOS or Android mobile app, at messenger.yahoo.com in your web browser, and in Yahoo Mail.